TY  - JOUR
AB  - Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to re‐examine accountability in a concrete historical context from the perspective of pragmatism and feminist theory.Design/methodology/approach– An archival case study of Hull House.Findings– Both pragmatism and feminist theory of Benhabib provide new insight into alternative conceptions of accountability, conceptions at odds with the prevailing and dominant emphasis on quantitative measures of performance. Further, this paper suggests that this limited view severely narrows the understanding of organizational “success.”Research limitations/implications– While this research serves to problematize notions of accountability further, it leaves the task of developing alternative practices to future researchers.Originality/value– This paper contributes in two ways: first, there is a paucity of research linking pragmatism to the actual workings of concrete organizations. This paper begins to fill that gap. Second, this work draws the attention of accounting and other organizational researchers to the important role played by the settlement movement, and particularly Hull House, in the development of contemporary organizations.
VL  - 21
IS  - 6
SN  - 0951-3574
DO  - 10.1108/09513570810893245
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1108/09513570810893245
AU  - Oakes Leslie S.
AU  - Young Joni J.
PY  - 2008
Y1  - 2008/01/01
TI  - Accountability re‐examined: evidence from Hull House
T2  - Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal
PB  - Emerald Group Publishing Limited
SP  - 765
EP  - 790
Y2  - 2024/04/16
ER  -